Episode 181. Urgent Delivery
Aurora Skies Cure-All Collective shortly before 10:30 am.
“Hi, mom”, Juliette said as she and her mother met outside the hospital.
“Hi, dear, how can I help you?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt you, you must be busy, but…”
“Here’s Rob’s sample”. Juliette answered handing her mother the sample of Rob’s DNA she had just taken.
“Oh, thanks a lot honey, but…”
“I’m late for my work, so I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“No, wait a minute. So, you saw Robin, alone?” Karen asked.
“Yes, mom, he came to my place by surprise this morning, long story, but he left right after the test, so you have nothing to worry about.”
“Well, he better behave himself, because I’m on the lookout.”
“Mom -“
“It’s fine, I’ll examine the sample and get the results to you as soon as possible”.
“Thank you, mother”.
“You’re most welcome, dear. Now excuse me, but I gotta go back to work”.
“I know, so do I, but first tell me -“
“Do you think everything will be okay with Rob’s DNA?”
“Why you ask, did you notice anything unusual in the sample?”
“Not exactly, but – well, the scanner said, ‘unknown DNA’. What do you think that could mean?”
“It means we still don’t have the final result, that’s what it means, darling.”
“But what if Dust is right and Rob is, I don’t know, like, mutating?”
“Mutating into what, a werewolf? Come on, darling…”
“No, not a werewolf of course, but something else”.
“Why do you believe that? Is there something weird with Robin’s looks or behavior?”
“Yes. I mean, no, not exactly. He’s gone through some changes, it’s in a journal he lent to Dustin, plus there’s something in his gaze, I couldn’t explain it, it’s… Aw, forget it, I think I’m just nervous”, Juliette ended, flushed.
“M-hm”, Karen mumbled.
“See?” She added “That’s why I didn’t want you to see him alone, he makes you nervous! Tell me, is he putting pressure on you? He better not, because I’ll be watching him, that’s why I wanna be there when you go to register Rowan”.
Juliette completely lost her cool.
“Mom please stop it, okay? I’m an adult, I’m even a mother too now! I don’t need you to look after me as if I was still a little girl, I can take care of myself, you just have to trust me”.
“You think I can? With Robin hovering around you all the time?”
“Robin can hover around me all he wants, he’s not an irrational guy, and I’m not stupid”.
“Of course you’re not stupid, darling, you’re just in love, I know how that works”.
“No, you don’t, you were never in the situation I’m in now, believe me, it’s not easy at all.”
“Okay, so what do you want me to do, just let you run into another heartbreak?”
“I’m not running into another heartbreak”.
“See, Robin and I love each other. I know he’s not in the best situation right now, but he’s fighting for us to get back together, and I definitely support him. I know we can make this work, so I’m begging you, please, let me handle this on my own.”
“I mean, Rob is trying to be responsible for his actions here, it would be kind of embarrassing if you were there watching us like we were teens while we register our own child. So, please, let us do this by ourselves, okay?”
“All right, all right”, Karen replied. “Calm down, honey, I understand, I was young too, you know? I trust you and if Robin really wants to fix what he messed up, well – “
“To be perfectly honest, it was me who messed it up. Robin just tried to move on with his life.”
“He could have fought for you instead of getting married, but that’s okay, I’ll give him a chance by leaving you two alone, hoping with all my heart that everything will be for the best.”
“Thank you, Mom, I won’t let you or Dad down.”
“I know, dear” Karen smiled. “You don’t owe us any explanation, you’re and adult after all. Just try to be careful, you already have a child, you won’t want to have two.”
“Mom!”
“Yes, that probably wasn’t what you were talking about, but I had to warn you, just in case. Now let’s get inside or we’ll get a penalty for being late”.
“Will you call me as soon as you get the test results?”
“Of course. Everything’s gonna be fine, I’m sure. Now let’s go before the supervisor comes by.”
Episode 182. Shocking Discovery
Aurora Skies, that same night at the Shen family home…
Back from her work at the hospital, Karen started the analysis of Robin’s DNA in her private laboratory.
“All right, let’s see what we have here.”
“Hm, yes, I can see it now.”
“Juliette was right, there is an unknown component in Robin’s DNA”
“Wait a minute, what is that there?”
“This can’t be, there must be a mistake! I’d better repeat the analysis.”
Karen repeated the test.
After finishing, she looked again in the viewer of the science research station.
“There’s no mistake! The result is exactly the same: 60% human, 40% non-human. Maybe Dust is right, and Robin suffered some mutation? But what kind of event would cause the DNA to change so drastically? Plus, if there had been a mutation, it would show up in the analysis”.
“It was definitely not a mutation, 40% of Robin’s DNA is not from this planet. That can only mean one of two things: that he, or his parents, are from another species, or…. that they came from outer space”.
“God! What am I going to tell Juliette when she asks me about the result? How will I tell her that Robin, the father of her child, is half human and half alien?”
“I won’t. I don’t want to scare her; I’ll talk to Dylan first; I’ll do it tonight when Logan has gone to sleep. We can’t let him or anyone else in the family know about this discovery until we’re absolutely sure what it is about, then we’ll decide what to do”.
Episode 183. Foreign Language
At the Shen family home, shortly after dinner time.
“Dyl, I need to talk to you”, Karen said approaching Dylan’s desk.
“Just a second, dear, I’m in the middle of something”, he answered without taking his eyes off the screen.
“Did you manage to unlock the document?”
“Not yet, but I found out something interesting”.
“Really? What is it?”
“Well, turns out that the code used to lock it down isn’t from the Earth.”
Karen’s heart skipped a beat. “What – exactly do you mean?”.
“Come here, I’ll show you.”
Karen pulled up a chair, sat down next to Dylan, and put on her glasses to get a better look.
“What exactly are we looking at here?” she asked.
“The code, do you recognize those symbols?”
“No, they don’t look like anything I’ve ever seen before, what language is it supposed to be?”
“One that’s clearly from another planet,” Dylan replied; Karen gasped.
“Gee, this only confirms that…”
“It confirms”, Dylan interrupted her, “That it couldn’t have been the Oasis Landing authority who locked the file. If anything, they confiscated it or stole it from a foreign server.”
“Foreign? You mean from…?”
“Outer space, yes, likely another galaxy.” Karen gulped again.
“But why would the Council steal a document in a foreign language?”
“To secure it, as evidence. They probably thought it contained information of interest to them, but since they couldn’t read it, they filed it away, thinking they could decode it later.”
“Or they locked it themselves”.
“Not likely, it’s a very complex code, in the Council there are well-prepared people, but not even in dreams could they decipher something like this”.
“I have to crack this file ASAP to find out what’s hidden in it.” Dylan added, as Karen connected the dots in her head.
“An alien code, 40% of Robin’s DNA is of unknown origin. 1 + 1 = 2! Do you think whatever is in this file has anything to do with Robin and why the OL Police are after him?” She finally asked.
“I’m sure it does, but to confirm it I must unlock it. Obviously, I won’t be able to do it by myself, I’ll need help from someone who can actually read this language.”
“And there’s only one person in all of Aurora Skies who would recognize an alien code from a thousand miles away.”
“Bjorn Beaker”, Karen sentenced.
“Who else?”
Episode 184. The Alien Expert
“I’ll call Bjorn right now,” Dylan said, pulling out his cell phone. “He’ll unlock the file without problem or get his team of experts to do so”.
“M-hm”, Karen responded.
“His team of experts, or the alien friend which ‘abducted’ him on Christmas Eve?” She scoffed.
Dylan put the phone away again and heaved a sigh.
“l know Bjorn may sound absurd at times, but he’s an outstanding scientist, he wouldn’t make up such a thing, plus, at this point his ‘alien friend’ is probably all we have.”
“That’s fine with me, as long as she doesn’t mess with our marriage like she’s done with the Beakers'”.
“Oh, please, those are only Gundrun’s inventions.”
“Inventions? Gundrun saw her from her window once, arriving to their house late at night in some sort of flying saucer”, Karen explained.
“That proves she comes from outer space. She has pale-green skin as well, and a very weird name, I can’t remember it at the moment”.
“Nah, she must have been just one of Bjorn’s scientific colleagues, testing some newly developed artifact. But Gundrun is always seeing things where there aren’t any.” Dylan countered.
“Gundrun isn’t seeing things, she’s a smart woman, a business genius and a very successful influencer”.
“Sure she is. It’s with this type of fantasies that she has attracted all those naive followers to her social media.”
“These aren’t fantasies Dyl, or a story for social media”.
“Gundrun once saw that alien woman, shamelessly flirting with Bjorn in their own living room; and let me tell you, he didn’t seem to dislike her at all!”
“Bullshit. If that was true, Bjorn would have told me.”
“Gund has no reason to lie”.
“Bjorn must have told you about her and the ‘abduction’, dirty details and all. But being his best friend, you’re sure to cover up for him”.
“Karen…”
“No, seriously, Dyl, I don’t care what Bjorn does with his life, but you better watch out for her. She seems to have put a spell on Bjorn or something.”
“A spell?” Dylan tried hard not to laugh. “See, Karen, I don’t know if this ‘alien’ girl really exists at all, but I can tell you I don’t believe in spells, and I’m no longer of age for such things anyway.”
“I think you’re exactly at that age.” Karen remarked.
“Yeah, well, enough speculation,” Dylan cut in with a sigh. “Better tell me, did you check Robin’s DNA?”
Karen sighed too. “Yes, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about, I already have the results”.
“And?”
“Well, I was a bit confused with my findings, but I think I’ve just confirmed my suspicions.”
“Suspicions? What suspicions? Come on, K, talk to me”.
Episode 185. A Tough Revelation
Karen stood up, still hesitating and measuring every word she was about to say.
“An early study of Robin’s DNA indicated that a 40% of his DNA is, indeed, not from this planet.”
“What?”
“I know, I was shocked too, so I repeated the analysis, it returned exactly the same result. And now, seeing that file is locked with an alien code, I no longer have any doubt. “
Dylan had to take a few seconds to compose himself.
“What you’re saying is Robin is half alien?”
“Not half, 40 percent”.
“What difference does it make?”
“It makes a big difference, believe it or not.”
“40 percent alien… God, this can’t be!”
“Yes, it can. You and I have known for quite some time that we’re not alone in the Universe. There may not be life in the planets from our solar system, but in more distant planets there is, that’s a fact”. Karen argued.
“Yeah, but we agreed to keep that a secret. If Robin turns out to be an alien, how will we be able to keep it now?”
“Maybe it’s time to reveal it to our children”.
“It’s not what Emit advised.”
“Emit isn’t here, but we are, and our daughter could be in danger.”
Dylan sighed. “Okay, we’ll tell them after we unlock the document. I’ll call Bjorn right now.”
“Why, at this hour?”
“I don’t think the time is a problem, Bjorn always works late hours”.
“Okay, but if he manages to unlock the file, and we confirm Robin is… what we think he is, we tell the kids immediately”.
“Yes, but we’ll have to do it carefully”,
“It’s a tough revelation, especially for Jul, cause Rowan could also be a… you know”.
“Oh my, that’s true”. Karen gulped. “I remember her telling us how incredibly smart he is and how far ahead he is in his learning for his age.”
“Well, the genius trait runs in our family, but Robin’s alien genes could also be the cause for that”. Dylan sighed.
“Do you think we should test Rowie’s DNA as well?”, Karen asked.
“It would be the best to be on the safe side; but to take Row’s sample we would need to ask for Juliette’s authorization, and for that we would have to explain it all to her.”
“Well, let’s explain to her then”.
“We can’t tell her anything until we know for sure what’s in the document”.
“So, what do we do?”
“We wait. I’ll call Bjorn to crack the file open, then we’ll decide what the next step is. For now, not a word to the kids about this, especially to Juliette, okay?”
“Okay”.
Episode 186. A Heated Debate
Karen still couldn’t accept the idea of not telling her children about her discovery, but Dylan, being a Time Traveler himself, knew the value of confidentiality so he stood firm on his position.
“Well, I guess we’re in agreement, so I’m calling Bjorn now,” he said, pulling out his phone to dial.
“Wait… I just remembered”, Karen said.
“Remembered what?” Dylan asked.
“When Jul handed me Robin’s sample, she asked me to let her go alone with Robin to register Rowan; at the time I didn’t imagine what I would find in the analysis, so I agreed. I kind of gave her my blessing to go ahead with him, I even advised her to take precautions, if you know what I mean”.
“I didn’t know I was giving my daughter permission to sleep with an alien!” Karen ended in panic. Dylan gasped; he was not as concerned about Robin being an alien as he was about the idea of their daughter dating a married guy. But he didn’t want to distress Karen more, so he took a deep breath and exhaled before answering.
“Well, I don’t think they’d ask for our permission anyway. They’re adults, they love each other, and they’ve already started a family, so…”
“Are you kidding? Rob is still married, plus I don’t think we should risk Jul having another alien child.”
“Hey, we don’t know yet if Rowie is alien”.
“Ok, but Robin is, Jul might not be safe around him. Aliens have powers, you know? They control minds, turn humans into their servants; they’re able to bio-drain, scan, probe and impregnate them too.”
“Where the hell did you hear all that, on Gundrun’s UFO podcast?”
“Will you stop mocking me? This is serious!”
“Honey, I’m not mocking you…”
“I just don’t believe anything Gundrun publishes”.
“You insist she’s lying, why?”
“Because I know her, she makes up stories to gain followers!”
“She has proof of everything she says in her broadcasts. She does her research to find things out. Or don’t you believe in science anymore?”
“I do believe in science! I just don’t go around scaring other people with stories of aliens and their terrifying powers. I reckon they’re out there somewhere, I just can’t take the ridiculous way they’re portrayed at times, like evil beings seeking to enslave us and perform experiments on us. I mean…”
“What if that’s not what they’re after? What if they just want to be friends and help us?”
“That’s the problem with you, Dyl, you’re too naive, you still think aliens are these friendly ‘occupants of interplanetary crafts’ who are our friends; but those are indeed only fantasies, hun”.
Episode 187. Alien Powers
“Aliens aren’t peaceful at all, they’re most likely hostile creatures who want to take over our planet”, Karen concluded.
“Uh – sorry to disappoint you, my dear, but we’re probably the last species in the universe they’d be interested in. Now, even if they were, Robin is nothing like them”.
“Robin is 40% percent alien, that definitely makes him one of them.”
“Rob is 60% human. He was born in Oasis Landing, which, as far as I know is here, on planet Earth. You said yourself that 40% was very different from being alien or half-alien. Moreover, he’s a Time Traveler, he’s one of the good guys, and just like Emit I trust him completely. I don’t think he’s capable of doing the things you just mentioned”.
“Hell, I don’t even think he knows what’s happening to him; he must be as confused as we are right now, probably scared to death by these ‘changes’ he’s undergoing.”
“I highly doubt that”, Karen protested.
“He comes from the Future, he must know things, probably more than he wants to admit. And I don’t think he’s scared at all; on the contrary, he must be enjoying his new powers.”
“Enjoying them? I highly doubt he knows how to handle them at this point, that is if he actually has such powers.”
“Oh, I bet he has them, and he might use them on our daughter to convince her to do what he wants.”
“Convince her,” Dylan chuckled. “Rob and Jul are in love, Karen, neither of them has to ‘convince’ the other of anything. And frankly, Robin doesn’t seem to me like the kind of guy who needs alien ‘powers’ to get a girl.”
“Juliette has been head over heels in love with him from day one; and Rob with her, that’s more than obvious. Why or why would he need to control her? It doesn’t make sense. As for ‘probing’ and ‘impregnating’… Well, she already had his child, so…
“Aaaalright. That’s enough, I got your point,” Karen cut to him.
“Even so, we should tell her what’s going on before she sees him next Saturday.”
“Absolutely not. We won’t ruin Rowie’s registration”.
“Maybe it’s the best for him’.
“Nope. Jul has been looking forward to this, let her go on, I’m pretty sure she and Row will be safe”.
“O-okay, I hope it’s really the right thing to do.”
“It is. Now, if you excuse me, I’ll call Bjorn”, Dylan concluded. to redial.
“Bjorn?”, he said, as he heard his scientist friend’s voice.
“Hey, Dylan! Dude, it’s nice to hear from you.”
“Good to hear from you too, buddy. Excuse me for calling at this hour, but I need your help urgently”.
“Of course, my friend; tell me, what can I do for you?”
Episode 188. Breaking the Code
Aurora Skies, the Beaker residence, almost midnight…
The night was so clear and quiet that the crickets could be heard chirping. Standing at the door, Dylan didn’t knock so as not to wake the family; he just texted Bjorn, letting him know he was already there.
Bjorn came out right away, still dressed and as awake as if it were broad daylight.
“Bjorn, hi, I’m really sorry to come at this hour, but, like I said, it’s kind of urgent”, Dylan apologized.
“Ah, don’t even mention it, bud. You’re welcome in this house at any hour. Come on, let’s get inside so you can tell me what’s going on.”
Dylan told Bjorn, as briefly as he could, everything about Robin, his escape from Oasis Landing, and his alien DNA. Bjorn listened to all the details with impeccable attention and growing interest.
“So, your son-in-law comes from the future, is now a fugitive, and is part-alien too? Fascinating!”
“Yes, and concerning as well, now more than ever I must find out what this document contains. Do you think you can crack the code in it?”
The answer to Dylan’s question was obvious. Even before he finished his request, Bjorn was on board, impatient to examine the file, so he asked Dylan to follow him into his study.
“From the description of that code, it sounds like a no-brainer, I may be able to unlock it this very night”, he said.
“Dude, that would be great,” Dylan replied. “Wow, I see you have a whole lab at home. It looks a lot like Karen’s”, he added, looking around.
“Great minds think alike, too bad your wife hates me, or I’d invite her to collaborate on my experiments”, Bjorn replied, sitting down at the computer.
“Karen doesn’t hate you, she just – well, you know, she’s good friends with Gundrun”.
“And Gund must have told her all those stories about me”.
“Some of them, yes”.
“Well, there goes my reputation as a scientist.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Nah, don’t be. Now, grab one of those chairs, this could take us all night”.
Dylan obeyed and sat down next to Bjorn in front of the computer.
“Now let’s see what we got here… Hm, you were right, it’s an old code, though not as simple as I imagined it. You’ll have to be patient; this could take longer than expected.”
“Don’t worry, I got all night.”
“Good.”
Episode 189. Valuable Information
An hour later, Bjorn continued working on the translation of the alien code. After having been silent all that time, Dylan finally decided himself to ask.
“So, how did you learn to speak alien language?”
“I can decipher it only, speaking it is something different, my skill doesn’t go that far.”
“Got it, but – how, or rather, where did you learn it? This is not the kind of thing they teach in college.”
“That’s a long story, one that Gund surely would love to tell you”.
“Like that one where a girl from outer space abducts you?”
“Ah, I see Gundrun finally spread the news.”
“It was more like Karen who spread it to me.”
“Yeah, I’m sure she heard it from Gundrun.”
“Is it true?”
“Well, the version my wife tells, that’s not exactly how it happened”.
“As it turns out I wasn’t abducted, Sopeha came knocking on my door”.
“Sopeha? What kind of name is that?”
“I know, it’s a bit strange, even difficult to pronounce, so I call her Sophie”.
“Not the same, but much better, actually… So, she came knocking on your door, and then?”
“Like I said, it’s a long story, I’ll tell you about it as soon as I’m done with… “
“Wait a second”, Bjorn exclaimed.
“What, is there a problem with the file?”
“None, on the contrary, I think I found the key to unlock it without having to hack it!”
“Did you, how?”
“Well, I translated this paragraph, which reads as follows: ‘The information contained hereby is confidential and valuable only to the Forces of Peace and Order of The Great Asteroid Belt’. No idea what that means, but what is important here is this line at the bottom”.
“What does it say?”
“Key: Crane2032, I think it might be the password to access the document, it was here all the time, but in alien language it read differently”.
“Crane2032? Those are Robin’s last name and date of birth, so it makes sense”, Dylan stated.
“Okay, so we write it down here and… yes. The file is opening, wanna take a look?”
“May I?” Dylan exclaimed, still not giving credit.
“Of course, man, it’s your document”.
“Thank you, bud, you’ve just saved me”.
“Ah, it was nothing, in fact all this has been kind of fun”.
Bjorn stepped aside to leave the seat to Dylan. He quickly began to check the pages of the document, browsing through each one avidly.
“The Great Asteroid Belt… Where in the world is that?”
“Not in ours, obviously”, Bjorn rushed to answer. Dylan’s face lit as he continued reading.
“Wow, this information is indeed valuable”, he muttered.
“Anything of particular interest to you?” Bjorn asked.
“Well, from what I have read so far, everything seems to indicate that Robin’s long-lost parents are alive and kicking.”
Episode 190. Searching the Cranes
Bjorn made himself comfortable as Dylan continued to read the pages of the newly unlocked document.
“So, future boy’s parents are alive”, he stated.
“Apparently yes, their names are Douglas Crane and Sylvie Girard. He’s currently 48 years old, she’s 45; he’s a High Tech Engineer, she’s a Doctor in Science and Medicine. They met and got married in Oasis Landing. Here’s a picture of the two of them, they were much younger then”.
“It says they were ‘both distinguished members of the Oasis Landing Council’ until they had to flee in 2035, the same year of the photo”.
“Had to flee? For what reason?”.
“It doesn’t specify it here but check this old DNA profile, it says: Sylvie Girard. Age: 26. DNA, 100% human; Douglas Crane. Age: 29. DNA: 60% human, 40% alien. That explains Robin’s DNA, he got it from his father!”
“Douglas is alien?” Bjorn asked, approaching to get a better look. “Well, he looks quite human to me”.
“Yep, so does Robin”.
“Here’s a pic of Rob as a kid, with his real hair color; he gets that from his father too. The photo is also from 2035”.
“Any info about him?”
“Name: Robin Crane. Born: 2032. Age: 3. Current location: Oasis Landing. DNA: Unknown.”
“Well, I’m sure they knew, but whoever wrote this info didn’t want to disclose it”.
“Who wrote this, anyway?” Bjorn asked.
“No idea. But from what I can see, Crane is indeed Robin’s last name”.
“Wasn’t it supposed to be?”
“Robin told Juliette that ‘Crane’ was the name of the robot that took care of him when he was a baby, an alias he had been registered with at the Community Center”.
“Registered? By whom?”
“Emit Relevart, a kind of timekeeper, he took Robin into his care and raised him as if he was his own child; later he was his mentor at the Academy where Robin became a Time Traveler.”
“Okay”, Bjorn said standing up. “But if Relevart knew Robin’s last name that means he probably knew the Cranes and their whereabouts, so why didn’t he tell Robin that they were alive? Moreover, why did the Cranes never come for their son all this time?”
“Good questions. I have no idea why Emit kept quiet about such an important matter. As for the Cranes, something must have stopped them, probably the same reason they fled in the first place, some kind of problem with the authorities, just like Robin now. History repeats itself, sadly”. Dylan sighed.
“Does the document say where they are now?” Bjorn asked.
“Yes, it says that they’re currently living in an old, abandoned alien village called Lunar Lakes”.
“¿Lunar Lakes? Where in the hell is that?”, Bjorn repeated, as he examined the pictures.
“God only knows”.
“Well, by the look of those pics, it must be in a galaxy far, far away. At this ‘Great Asteroid Belt’, probably”, Bjorn joked.
“Wherever it is, we’ll need to find a way to reach out for them”.
“Did they include a map or something?”
“Nope. No map, no address and no directions either”.
“Guess we’ll have to find it for ourselves”, Dylan sighed, pulling out the flash drive and standing up. “Before I tell Robin any of this, I have to figure out where Lunar Lakes is and how to get there.”
Bjorn sighed as well, not with concern like Dylan, but with true excitement.
“Well, I don’t have the least idea where Lunar Lakes might be, but I know someone who sure as hell does.”
Episode 191. Sopeha
“Sopeha? Seriously, Bjorn?”
“Yes! Sophie has traveled extensively through outer space, I’m sure she knows where this Lunar Lakes is.”
“Can we trust her? We’re talking about sensitive info here, which, in addition, doesn’t belong to us.”
“Don’t worry, I’m well aware all this is none of my business, so I won’t reveal the contents of the file to her, I’ll just ask her how to get to Lunar Lakes”.
“In that case, I agree, and I thank you for all you’re doing for me.”
“Ah, don’t even mention it, what are friends for after all? I’ll get in touch with Sophie right away and I’ll give you her answer tomorrow.”
“Okay, I hope I don’t regret this.”
“You won’t. In fact…”
“I can introduce you to her, so you can ask her yourself.”
“I don’t know… Is she attractive?”
“Honestly? Yes. She’s actually quite sexy.”
“Then thanks, but no thanks.”
“Oh, come on, Dyl…”
“No, I mean it, Bjorn. See, I admit I’m dying of curiosity, but I don’t want problems with Karen.”
“Fair enough, then I’ll talk to her myself and will be at your house tomorrow with the reply.”
“But you’ll have to meet Sophie at some point”.
“Well… We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Now I must leave, Karen will freak out if she wakes up and doesn’t see me there”.
“I understand, please tell her not to judge me so harshly, I’m an innocent man and I can prove it.”
Dylan let out a chuckle. “Yeah, no doubt.”
“No, really, I am”. Dylan giggled again.
“And I do believe you”, he said.
“Now, good night and, again, thanks for everything” he added, giving Bjorn a hug.
“Again, you’re welcome. See you tomorrow, dude.” Bjorn replied, hugging him back.
Once outside, Dylan thought about what he’ll do next. He couldn’t keep this information to himself. It belonged to Robin, he had an obligation to reveal it to him, as well as the result of his DNA analysis. But this was not the right time, the next morning he and Juliette were going to register Rowan, and a few days later it would be Dustin’s wedding. Would it be wise to drop such a bombshell on the family on the eve of these events?
When he returned home, Karen was sleeping so soundly that he didn’t dare wake her up, least to tell her something of the caliber of what he had just found out. It was too much to take in, it would be better to let her rest; he would break the news to her as soon as it dawned, but…
Should he tell her about Sopeha’s participation in their little search team after what Gundrun had told her? Frankly, what choice did he have? None really. Both he and Karen would have to accept Sopeha and trust her, since, apparently, she was the only one who could show them the way to Lunar Lakes.
Unless, of course, Emit made his appearance, but from the looks of it, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
Well, tomorrow would be another day, now all Dylan wanted was to sleep. Never like that night he wished the morning would come quickly.
Episode 192. A Long-Awaited Date
Aurora Skies, the Shen’s house, early on Saturday morning.
Luckily for Dylan, the night passed peacefully after the hustle and bustle of the day before. When he woke up the next morning, Karen was no longer in bed, so he got up, took a quick shower and went down to the kitchen. There she was, already dressed and working on her laptop.
“Hey, honey, good morning,” he greeted her.
“Dylan, at last! I thought you’d never come down,” she said, closing her laptop and standing up.
“Yeah well, I overslept, I was really exhausted, how about you, working this early?” Dylan asked.
“Just checking my notes, I usually don’t do it on Saturdays, but I lost sleep thinking about Juliette. She and Robin must be on their way to the City Hall by now.”
“Are the offices open at this hour?”
“No, but you know, they want to be the first to go in.”
“The first to go in, huh? I think they really just couldn’t wait to see each other,” Dylan joked.
“That’s what worries me, more so now that we know – what we know.”
“By the way, how did it go last night with Bjorn – did he manage to crack the code?” Karen asked as she turned to serve the coffee.
“Not only did he crack it, but he also discovered the password; with it we were able to unlock the document and read the information right there.”
“Really? And what did you find out?”
“I’ll show you, bring your laptop to the dining room. Just prepare yourself cause you’re not going to believe this…”
Aurora Skies City Hall, almost 8 am.
Robin and Juliette stepped out of the cab in front of the City Hall, taking Rowan with them. At last, the long-awaited date to register him as a member of the Crane family had arrived.
The offices had not yet opened, so the three of them had to wait outside. Juliette was a little impatient but determined to see this through. It would be a long wait, and Rowan was a very restless child, so they would have to find a way to entertain him.
Robin had no problem with it and soon found a way to keep his son busy. Rowan was delighted to have his attention and just couldn’t stop laughing; Juliette on the other hand, began to get nervous as she watched Robin toss him in the air.
“Rob, please be careful,” she pleaded.
“Don’t worry, I know how to do this,” Robin replied.
“I don’t doubt you do, but what if you slip up and miss catching him?”
“I won’t. He’s more than safe with me.”
“Okay, just don’t toss him too high, he could get scared.”
“He doesn’t look scared, on the contrary, he seems to be enjoying it, isn’t that so, Row?”
Rowan’s response was more laughter.
“Anyway, I’d rather you play something else for now,” Juliette insisted.
Robin stopped tossing Rowan; Juliette breathed a sigh of relief.
“Forgive me, I’m just a little nervous,” she told him.
“It’s all right, dear, last thing I want is to make you upset”.
“Please don’t think I distrust you, it’s just Row never played that game before and…”
“Really? Wow, he looked so confident, he didn’t hesitate even once”.
“Row is incredibly smart and learns things very quickly.”
“He must have inherited the Shen’s intelligence.”
“Or yours. You two are so alike… I mean, you don’t see each other often, yet Row seems to trust you completely.”
“I hope so. As for not seeing each other much, that will change soon enough.”
The sound of the door opening interrupted the conversation.
“Are you totally sure you want to do this?” Robin asked.
“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, I don’t know if you remember, but, apparently, Crane isn’t my real last name.”
Juliette smiled.
“I remember. But you are you, no matter what last name you carry. And Crane is the name I knew you by, so that’s all I need.”
“Now let’s go inside or we’ll miss our turn,” she added, stepping into the building.
Robin took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second to push away the anguish that had suddenly taken hold of him; then he followed Juliette carrying Rowan in his arms. This was the first step toward their future as a family; a day they had long looked forward to. Once they walked through that door, there would be no turning back…
Episode 193. The New Crane Family
Back at the Shen’s house…
“So Robin’s parents are alive,” Karen said as she read the pages of the document.
“Yep”, Dylan answered.
“But if they are, how come in nineteen years they never tried to contact him?”
“No idea. It’s weird enough that they didn’t take him with them to begin with.”
“That was awful, I don’t understand how they could leave their son behind and then resign themselves to live without him all these… Oh, my God…”
“Douglas Crane is 40% alien?” Karen exclaimed.
“Now we know where those genes came from,” Dylan replied, with a sip of coffee.
“Then there’s no doubt anymore, this is not a mutation, but a whole alien lineage!”
“Uh – honey, I think you’re overreacting a bit here”.
“No, this is serious, Dyl.”
“I must call Jul to cancel everything and come home right away,” Karen concluded, closing the laptop and standing up.
“Why on earth would you do that?” Dylan inquired, getting up in turn.
“And you’re asking?”
“Robin and his father are aliens, it means Row could be one too, we must take his DNA sample immediately.”
“Absolutely not. We agreed we would wait and that’s what we will do. We don’t gain anything by rushing things.”
“Waiting isn’t wise either, what if Jul finds out sooner from somewhere else?”
“She won’t, no one else knows about this but us,’ Dylan replied, as he headed for the kitchen.
“What if Robin already knows and tells her himself? Jul will be horrified and will blame us for not putting her on notice,” Karen concluded. Dylan stopped and turned around.
“Jul is a scientist, she may be shocked, even worried by this news, but believe me, she won’t be ‘horrified,’ or stop loving Robin because of it.”
“I don’t know, Dyl, I’m afraid.”
“I am not, cause there’s nothing to be afraid of. Like I said, I trust Rob, I’m pretty sure Jul and Row are safe with him. As of today, he’s our family, so we must support him. After Dustin’s wedding we can tell them all, but for now, let them enjoy their special day, okay?”
“…”
AROUND THE SAME TIME, AT THE AURORA SKIES CITY HALL…
Juliette and Robin were already out. It was done, Rowan now carried the Crane family name.
“Well, I promised you two things, I already fulfilled the first one,” Robin said once outside City Hall.
“I know, and I appreciate that”, Juliette replied. “But – are you absolutely sure about what’s next?”
“My divorce you mean. Yes, I am sure. That was my second promise, and I’m going to keep it too.”
“But your family…”
“My daughters will always have my support; and ‘my family’, from this moment on, is you and Row.”
“Soon enough the three of us will be together, and nothing will separate us anymore,” Robin added, hugging her.
“I hope so.”
“You don’t believe me?”
“Of course I do, I’m just afraid of dreaming too much. I feel that if I do, something will come between us at the last moment.”
“Nothing will come between us, everything’s gonna to be fine, so no sad thoughts, okay? No let’s enjoy the day together like we planned it.”
“Okay,” Juliette answered, still thinking this was just a dream from which she will wake up at some point.
“Mommy, Daddy, let’s play!” Said a little voice next to them, Rowan was starting to get impatient.
Robin had no problem meeting his demands, quickly putting him over his shoulder. Rowan burst out laughing; Juliette’s heart skipped a beat.
“Well, Row, what do you think of your new name? Do you like it?” Robin asked.
“Yes!” Rowan hurried to answer.
“You hear that, Jul? He likes his new last name.”
“Yeah, I doubt he knows what you’re talking about,” Juliette chuckled.
“Oh, I know he knows, he and I read each other’s minds, don’t we, Row?” Robin joked; Rowan laughed again.
Juliette shook her head. “Of course he does,” she giggled, then, a little more seriously: “Maybe we should go now, people are starting to arrive.”
“What do you say Row, you want to go home?” Robin asked.
“No, I want to go there!” Rowan exclaimed, pointing towards the small park next to City Hall.
“There? Sure, but only if Mommy agrees”.
Although with some reservation, Juliette accepted. She had dreamed of this day so much, but she was a bit worried about being in a public place with Robin, given his circumstances. It was still early though, there weren’t many people around, nothing kept them from enjoying these glorious moments as the new Crane family.
Episode 194. On Standby
BACK AT THE SHEN’S FAMILY HOME.
“They must have registered Rowan by now,” Karen sighed.
“It’s about time, Jul must be so happy, not to talk about Robin”, Dylan replied.
“When will the ‘right time’ be to tell them the truth?”
“Like I already said, we wait until after Dustin’s wedding.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait until then,” Karen said.
“You will, it’s just a few days, then we’ll fill them all in, Robin and Jul first, then the boys; I mean Logan, since Dust will be on his honeymoon”.
“Do you think he’ll forgive us for not telling him?”
“Trust me he’ll be so busy he won’t even remember we exist,” Dylan joked.
“True,” Karen smiled.
“What if Robin asks Jul or me about the results of his DNA test?” She asked.
“You don’t tell him about that either. He deserves a few days of peace, especially today, so we’re on standby until the time is right. Now, eat please, dear, your breakfast is getting cold.” Dylan requested.
“I don’t think I can pass a bite until I know Juliette got home safely.”
“Karen…”
“I know, you totally trust Robin,” she cut in. “I want to trust him as well, but with everything we know now about him, we should take certain precautions, like calling Juliette, just to make sure everything’s okay”.
“They’re okay, I’m sure. In fact, they must be ecstatic”. Dylan reaffirmed.
“You’re right,” Karen sighed again. “Please, ignore me, nervousness makes me talk nonsense,” she added, finally starting to eat.
“I don’t want to ignore you, dear, I just want you to be okay,” Dylan replied.
“I’m going to be, just give me a little time”.
Episode 195. The Perfect Father
MEANWHILE, IN THE SMAL PARK ADJACENT TO CITY HALL…
They sat down on one of the benches, Juliette put Rowan on her lap, he began asking questions on everything around them. Even the smallest detail of anything piqued his interest.
He was particularly attentive to Robin’s stories about the Future and at the new words he taught him, which he learned with astonishing speed. Juliette began to get nervous; by this hour there were more people on the streets, she feared someone would see them together and approach them to ask questions.
“I think we should go,” she suggested.
“No, I want to play,” Rowan chirped; Rob stepped in right away.
“Rowie, it’s kind of late and mom said that…”
“Please, please!” Rowan begged.
“O-okay, we stay, but only five minutes,” Juliette conceded.
“Did you hear that, Rowie? Five minutes, then we go home.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“It’s important to obey Mommy, so we always do what she asks, okay?”
“Okay.”
Robin kissed Rowan on the forehead, Juliette couldn’t stop looking at them, she was both touched and amazed at how brilliant Robin was in his role as a father, and how obedient Rowan was to him, as if they had known each other all their lives.
To please Rowan, they sat on the grass so he could play, while they all enjoyed the morning sun. Rowan was pleased and kind of quiet for a while, but being so restless and curious, he got bored quickly, and now he wanted to run around.
“Okay, just don’t go too far away, stay where mommy and I can see you,” Robin said, as the three stood up.
“Yes, Daddy,” Rowan replied without hesitation.
Juliette heaved a sigh. When in his two and a half little years of life had Rowan ever obeyed her like that? Almost always it was long battles to get him to eat or to put him to bed. How did Robin do it? What was his ‘secret’ to get him to do what he said? How did he manage to be such a perfect father?
Episode 196. Off-Guard
They let Rowan play at a safe distance and returned to the bench.
“How do you get Rowan to obey you, do you have any ‘technique’?” Juliette asked; Robin started to laugh.
“Technique? No, I don’t have any; I just ask him for things and that’s it.”
“Seriously? But you said earlier that you and Row ‘read each other’s minds’.
“Oh, that – that was a joke.”
“Still, he’s so compliant with you.”
“‘He isn’t with you? Cause I can talk to him if he’s giving you trouble”.
“It’s not real trouble, just little things, like refusing to eat, or to go to sleep. He wants to play and explore the house all the time, mainly the garden.”
“Well, children are curious; Row is no exception, he’ll probably be a scientist like the rest of the Shens.”
“Even scientists need to sleep – what human being doesn’t?”
Robin was speechless, what human being doesn’t need to sleep or eat? He, for one, since for some reason he wasn’t hungry or sleepy lately. “Do you think Rowie is sick or about to come down with something?” Juliette continued.
“I think kids go through stages like that, it’s perfectly normal. Just stop worrying and let him play as much as he wants, that way he’ll get tired and finally go to sleep,” Robin replied, putting his arm around Juliette’s shoulders; she instantly cuddled up next to him.
“So, you think his behavior is normal?” She asked.
“Yeah, and don’t forget he’s in his terrible twos.”
“Right, that must be it,” Juliette said, reassured. Robin smiled at her.
“You did that again”, she added, turning to look at Robin.
“What did I do?” he asked puzzled.
“You made me to calm down, you did the same with Rowan. It’s like you have some magical power.”
Robin chuckled. “I don’t have any power”.
“Then why do I feel so safe next to you?”
“Do I really make you feel safe?”
“Yes. I was worried and nervous, then, with just a few words and a look, you made me feel calm again”.
Juliette’s words, and her sudden closeness, prompted Robin to move in for a kiss. His gesture took her off guard, so she didn’t put up any resistance. Their lips were about to touch when…
“Mommy, Mommy!” Rowan exclaimed coming closer. The magical moment popped like a soap bubble, forcing them to pull apart.
“What’s the matter, sweetie, are you hungry? Do you want to go home already? ” Juliette asked, her heart still racing.
“No. I want to play with Daddy,” Rowan answered.
“Er, Row, we said we were going home in five minutes,” Juliette chimed in.
“I want to play with Daddy, please!” Rowan insisted; Juliette heaved a sigh.
“Well, at least this time he said please,” Robin joked.
“Hey, Row, what did we say earlier that was important to do?” He asked, leaving the bench to approach him.
“Obey Mommy,” Rowan replied.
“Exactly, so I’ll play with you a little, then we’ll go home, and you’ll eat your lunch, okay?”
“But I’m not hungry.”
“You sure will be by then. Now, what do you want to play?”
“I want to fly again.”
“All right, let’s fly then,” Robin said, taking Rowan in his arms.
Juliette let out another sigh. It was obvious at this point that neither father nor son wanted to separate, and she understood them cause she didn’t want to split up either. She was overjoyed to be with them but confused as well by what had just happened. If not for Rowan’s interruption, she and Robin would have kissed, like other times, only to have to continue living apart. How much longer would they have to endure this situation, a week, two, indefinitely?”
Episode 197. What now?
“Well, I’d like to join Logan for breakfast, but I can’t wait any longer, I have to hurry”. Dylan said, standing up.
“Going somewhere?”, Karen asked.
“No, but Bjorn won’t be long to call.”
“What for?”
“That’s what I want to talk to you about, do you know if Log is awake yet?”
“I don’t think so, it’s Saturday, he must have played video games with Erin all night.”
“Bjorn’s daughter Erin? Wow, I didn’t see that coming,” Dylan grinned.
“Don’t smile like that, they’re friends only, and underage, just like Juliette and Robin when they met.”
“Juliette and Robin, all roads lead to Rome, don’t they?”
“Can you blame me?”
“I guess not,” Dylan said, “I take it you’re worried about them now, but let me remind you that Jul was already 18 when she met Rob.”
“And hardly 19 when she had Rowan. We don’t want Log and Erin to end up the same way.”
“Come on, Karen, it’s just video games.”
“It was ‘just video games’ for Dustin and Judith too, remember?”
“Yes, and soon they’ll be happily married, as one day Robin and Juliette will be.”
“You think so?”
“Sure.”
“Well, I would’ve preferred them all to wait, they’re too young!” Karen replied as she gathered up the breakfast leftovers to put them away. “As for Juliette, let’s not forget that Robin is married, and has yet to ask his wife for a divorce.”
“Yes, and I believe that’s his next step.”
“I don’t think she’ll let him off that easy, and if she does there will still be legal stuff to go through, possibly a court trial”.
“Or maybe not, let’s not be pessimistic.”
“Nor too optimistic. Personally, I prefer not to get my hopes up.”
“Anyway, what’s this you wanted to talk to me about?” Karen ended.
“Not here, I wouldn’t want Logan to hear any of this.” Dylan replied.
“Oh, no, Dyl, please tell me this isn’t more bad news about the Cranes.”
“This isn’t about them directly.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Let’s go to the studio, I’ll explain it to you there.”
Episode 198. The Girl from Mars
Once in the studio…
“Well?” Karen asked, as soon as Dylan closed the door.
“You see, as I explained to you a while ago, Robin’s parents are living in a place called Lunar Lakes, which is naturally not in our planet, we don’t have the exact location yet, so we’ll need the help of a certain someone to locate it.”
“You mean Emit?”
“Well, Emit probably knows how to get there, but we don’t know where he is right now. Fortunately, Bjorn has someone who can help us not only to find the place but to actually get there.”
“Oh yeah? And how does Bjorn plan to send this ‘someone’ to another planet, is he a Rocket scientist now?”
“He probably is, but he doesn’t have a rocket of his own, which is why we need someone who can travel to outer space.”
“You don’t say”, Karen reacted. “Someone like his alien friend, that green, sexy girl from Mars who abducted him that one time?” She mocked.
“Actually, she’s the only one who could take us to Lunar Lakes”.
“Oh, no, Dyl, tell me you are kidding.”
“I am not, and she’s not green, I mean…”
“She’s probably green but she’s not from Mars. Aaand she’s not sexy, at all”, Dylan assured. “She didn’t abduct Bjorn either, that’s an urban legend, but she’s a seasoned space traveler and owns a supersonic ship.”
“Supersonic ship, huh? I see Bjorn has filled your head with his silly fantasies again.”
“You don’t get it, Sopeha is not a fantasy, she’s a real alien, and she’s the only one who can help us in this case.” Dylan insisted.
“Wait a second. Sopeha?”
“Yes, that’s her name.”
“Well, that’s quite a name, sounds like a stripper’s name.”
“Karen, please…”
“No, seriously, Dyl, she sounds dangerous to me, so don’t think I’ll just sit back and let her take my husband from me”.
“Karen, come on, she’s not going to take anything from you.”
“Sure she is, she already stole Bjorn from Gundrun, didn’t she?”
“She didn’t steal anything from her, she’s just a collaborator of Bjorn’s.”
“Right, and now she wants to ‘collaborate’ with you.”
“No, she doesn’t, she’s just going to show us how to get to Lunar Lakes.”
“Really? Well, I don’t want that woman ‘showing’ you anything, in fact I don’t want her anywhere near you, okay?”
“Karen, you’re being unreasonable, Sopeha just…”
“Stop. Don’t you mention that name again, I don’t want to hear anything about her in this house, okay?”
“Darling, you have nothing to worry about, chances are I won’t even get to meet her, it’s Robin who might have to travel with her.”
“Robin? Oh great, Juliette sure would love that!”
“Juliette will support Robin in any way that will help him find his family”.
“Jul is very jealous, I don’t think she wants that woman near him.”
“She has no reason to be jealous, and neither do you, dear.” Dylan said, moving closer.
“I’m not… jealous” Karen staggered.
“Yes, you are, but like I said, you have nothing to worry about, I’m not interested in anyone but you, and you know it.”
“Yeah, well…” Karen replied flushed, then a bit less angry: “Forgive me, I must sound crazy to you, but I’m not jealous… Okay, I am, a little, but that’s not why I don’t want you around this ‘Sopeha’. It is something else, like a feeling; don’t ask me why but I don’t trust her.”
“So you don’t trust Sopeha, you don’t trust Robin, I don’t think you trust Emit either… Do you at least trust me?” Dylan asked; Karen was speechless.
“Mom? Can I have breakfast?” Logan’s voice came from the study door.
Karen and Dylan turned to him at the same time.
“Sure honey, I’ll be with you in a second,” she replied.
As Logan left the studio, Karen turned to Dylan again:
“I trust you, Dyl, but this discussion is far from over.”
“Well, I’m afraid it’ll have to wait, Bjorn just texted me, he’s already talked to Sopeha, he’s coming over to tell me how it went.”
“Good grief, Dylan Shen”, Karen gasped.
And she stormed out of the studio; Dylan sighed.
“Well, Bjorn, I hope this is all worth it”.
Episode 199. Just one Kiss
Back at City Hall Park…
Rowan’s laughter could be heard all over the park, still half-empty at that hour. Juliette stared fascinated at Robin, the father role seemed to be a natural for him, perhaps because Row was not his only son, or because, being himself an orphan, Rob’s greatest wish had always been to have children. To think that had been the reason she had left him in the first place made her feel quite guilty now.
“You’re great with kids, did you know that?” She told him, after he put Rowan back on the floor.
“You think?” he asked, still agitated by the game.
“Yes. You know what to do, what to say, what to play… Rowie simply adores you, and I don’t blame him, because…”
“Because?” Robin prompted her; Juliette flushed.
“Well, truth is you’re adorable in your role as a dad.”
Rob beamed. “Are you serious?”
“Very serious,” she smiled back.
“Well, that’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“Well, like I said, it’s the truth,” Juliette remarked. Once again, Robin was touched by the sincerity of her words.
He couldn’t refrain himself and reached out to kiss her, only this time nothing could keep their lips from touching.
Juliette reacted by quickly pulling away, which made Robin feel embarrassed. She had to take a few seconds to get a grip on her heart, as it had started to race again.
“Jul? Is everything all right?” Robin asked when she turned to look at him.
“Yeah, I’m fine, it’s just… you need to stop doing this.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you”.
“I did it on impulse.” Robin apologized.
“Still, you shouldn’t have.”
“Was it that bad?”
“It wasn’t bad, in fact it was lovely, but the same thing happened a while ago on the bench. If Row hadn’t arrived at that moment, we would have…”
“Kissed, so what? It’s just a kiss.”
“That’s the problem, Rob, it’s not just a kiss for me. I love you, and every time we kiss, I want to keep going, but I can’t cause you’re married. And though it would be wonderful to just – forget about everything and go forward, it wouldn’t feel right and… Anyway, we can’t,” Juliette ended in a whisper.
Robin sighed. “You’re absolutely right, I’m sorry, I’m so happy to be here with you and Row, that it’s hard to contain myself. Again, please forgive me.”
Juliette felt bad straight away, and a fool too for reacting in such fashion.
“Don’t apologize, please, it’s not entirely your fault. “
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to kiss you too, it happens every time you are near me, but… “
“It’s not fair, I get it. I’m supposed to make you feel safe, not worried; so, once again, forgive me.”
“No, you forgive me, I got a little nervous and overreacted, that’s all”.
“So, you’re not mad at me?”
“How could I be mad at you, after how wonderful you’ve been to me and Row today.”
“Do you still think I’m a good father for him?”
“The best he could possibly have. I wish my mother had joined us, so she could have seen how happy Rowan is with you by his side; that way she probably…”
“Stop mistrusting me?” Robin asked.
“She doesn’t distrust you”.
“Yes, she does, and in a way she’s right, after what I did by marrying someone else; that was a mistake I’ll regret all my life”.
“I was wrong too, first cutting you off for wanting a family, and then hiding the fact that I was pregnant, that was kind of stupid, and I regret it too.”
“Well, let’s leave that in the past, okay? Today starts a new life for us. I’ll work every minute of every single day so that you, Rowie and I can have proper home.”
“As for your mom, she has nothing to worry about, cause I’m going to behave myself from here until my situation is settled. Although, that won’t be easy with how beautiful you look at all times.”
“Rob…” Juliette had to contain herself from throwing herself in his arms; Robin had to control his impulse to kiss her again.
Episode 200. Going Home
“Mommy, Daddy!” Rowan exclaimed, getting in between Juliette and Robin, making both of them go back to their senses.
“Oh, hey Row, are you done playing?” Robin asked.
“Yes,” Rowan replied.
“Good, then let’s go home.”
“Nooo.”
What do you mean, you’re not tired?”
“No!”
“Of course he’s not,” Juliette sighed.
“Oh, yes he is, but he’s never going to admit it,” Robin joked.
“Anyway, I think we should go now.”
“Did you hear that Row? Mom says it’s time to go home…”
“Let’s go!” Robin said, carrying him on his shoulder again.
“Nooo,” Rowan repeated, laughing and waving his arms in the air.
“Oh, yeah. You have to eat your lunch and get some sleep, it’s the law,” Robin continued.
“I doubt he’ll sleep, he’s tireless,” Juliette said.
“We’ll see about that,” Robin stated as they headed to the steps.
“Okay, put him down now, please, Rob,” Juliette requested.
“Your wish is my command,” Robin teased.
Not very willingly, Rowan agreed to be put down, and the three of them headed toward the street to look for a cab.
They had barely taken a few steps when Rowan came to a full stop.
“Rowie, what’s the matter, don’t you feel like walking?” Robin asked.
“No, I want to go with Mommy”.
“Oh, great, he finally remembers I’m here,” Juliette joked.
“In my book that means he’s tired, sleepy… and he misses his mommy.”
“Well, it’s about time.”
“Come here, sweetie,” she said taking Rowan in her arms to kiss him tenderly. Robin’s throat was knotted with emotion, he might not be living with Juliette and Rowan yet, but he felt at home already.
Poses used in the latest episodes:
Daddy’s Little Girl by Mrs. OB and Daddy and me by @siciliaforever. All credits and thanks to them!
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